Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-Re-R-E-C-Y-C-L-E! [VIDEO]

From July 2010 to June of this year, according to Department of Public Works chief Don Bourdeau, Montville recycled:

• 7.67 tons of batteries
• 218.39 tons of scrap metal
• 2,865 gallons of waste oil
• 47.82 tons of electronics
• 240 tons of leaves

Every ounce of that recycling means the town pays less to have its trash hauled. And in some cases, the town actually gets money in return.

The transfer station staff is fully and completely committed to recycling, and is working extra hard this weekend to get the message out.

Saturday and Sunday, transfer station staffer Flo Turner is going to dress up as recycling itself and patrol the grounds, carrying the recycling message to the people.

"The more you recycle, the better it is," Bourdeau said earlier this week.

The town pays $60 a ton to have its trash hauled. Any tonnage that is recycled lowers that amount - and also provides some income.

All of that recycled stuff, tons and tons and gallons and gallons, is stuff that is not going into the waste stream, and that Montville is not paying to have hauled away.

A while ago, says staffer Lynn McAlpine says, "They made the mistake of telling Flo that cords have copper in them." In a six-month period, Turner raised more than $5,000 from recycling the copper in those cords. Money raised from recycling goes into the general fund, Bourdeau says.

"This was something Flo decided to do one day because she was bored."

Turner and McAlpine work with Jim Kernozek and Andy Zettergren.

"Anybody who comes through (the transfer station) is supposed to be recycling," Turner says.

And if they're not, Kernozek says, they can "talk to the grumpy guy," i.e., Zettergren.

He's the recycling police. He will tap your bags and listen to hear if you have cans and bottles inside. He and Turner have been known to open bags and look for recyclable materials.

"You can be fined $10," for each recyclable item you're trying to throw away, Turner says.

"It's the law."